


Illumination

by mydeira, Sadbhyl



Series: Responsible Adults (aka, The Menageaverse) [68]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-11
Updated: 2013-04-11
Packaged: 2017-12-08 04:34:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/757101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mydeira/pseuds/mydeira, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sadbhyl/pseuds/Sadbhyl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Birthdays in the Summers’ household are never uneventful.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Illumination

**Author's Note:**

> Originally published July 14, 2005
> 
> Spoilers through “Beneath You”. Out of all the seasons, S7 is the one greatest effected by the OT3. Much of what happens in the first few episodes has been negated by their influence. But certain things must still take place. So we’ve had to get a little creative to bring those things to pass. And it was about time Joyce had a party. As always, [](http://sadbhyl.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://sadbhyl.livejournal.com/)**sadbhyl** is my rock.

Ethan was beginning to think Tara’s quiet, shy manner was just a front. She had a subtle persuasiveness that was very hard to argue against. Not that he didn’t try.

“It’s what everyone needs right now, Ethan. What better reason is there to gather than a celebration?” she asked matter-of-factly as she sat on his couch, drinking her tea with an air of complete innocence.

“First of all, my dear, you are talking to the wrong man. I am not now nor have I ever been a party organizer,” he said flatly. Well, not that kind of party at least. He fought down the sly smirk wanting to rise, knowing the girl would take full advantage of it. “And secondly, have you forgotten that birthdays tend to not go well in this fair town?”

“Only for Buffy. And I think her last one turned out fairly incident free,” she smiled pleasantly. “Besides, this is for Joyce.”

“Who has informed me in no uncertain terms that she likes the day to pass without fuss.”

She looked up at him slyly. “No woman ever really means that. You really weren’t planning anything for her?” she inquired, he tone leading.

“Oh, I have plans. Plans which don’t involve cake or streamers or large groups of people gathered under one roof. Well,” he lowered his voice, taking on a seductive note, “I wouldn’t rule out the cake altogether. Frosting may have a role in the evening.”

Blushing furiously, Tara still did not waver. “Think of it as doing something good for the Scoobies. Everyone has been so wrapped up in their own lives this summer.”

“Again, Tara, I am the wrong person to be talking to if you have the good of the group in mind,” Ethan pointed out.

Tara’s eyes narrowed and she looked at him levelly. “You haven’t been the bad guy for a long time, Ethan.”

It always made him somewhat uncomfortable that the girl had so much confidence in him. Next to Joyce, Tara was one of the last people he wanted to disappoint, especially after what had happened to Willow in the spring. But that more than anything seemed to bolster her confidence in his better nature. He sighed in resignation.

“Can I take that as a yes?” Her voice was hopeful, but her eyes already danced in triumph.

Ethan nodded. “You may, but only under the condition that you break the news to Joyce. She’ll have my head for this otherwise.”

 

 

Gentle arms wrapped around him from behind as he watched the children argue happily over which movie to put in.

“You’re too good to me,” Joyce whispered, kissing his cheek lightly.

“I had help, remember.” He inclined his head in Tara’s direction where she was mediating between Dawn and Anya at the moment.

“Be that as it may, thank you. I think we all needed a night like this,” she said. “It’s too bad that Rupert and Willow weren’t able to come back yet.”

“She’s made incredible progress, but it’s too soon for her to return.”

A light tug on his arm made him turn to face her. “You can’t keep blaming yourself for what happened.”

“I’m not,” he denied.

The raised eyebrow and slight frown on her lips told him how much she believed that.

“What’s done is done,” he said, closing the subject and pushing the thoughts far away. There were far more attractive things to focus on at the moment, such as the incredible creature whose attention at the moment was focused solely on him. Drawing her close, he murmured, “The children seem to be occupying themselves for the moment. What do you say to sneaking away to begin the real festivities of the evening?”

Joyce melted into his embrace. “Tempting, and I doubt we’d be missed. However,” she sighed, “we need to hang around just a little longer. It’s a little too early for the guest of honor to slip away from her own party.”

“So you’re saying you’d rather watch an insipid movie instead of having me shag you senseless into tomorrow morning?” he asked lightly.

Anya’s shrill voice cut off any reply Joyce would have made. “We’ve only been married six months, Xander, and you don’t look at me like that any more!”

“Like what, Ahn?” the boy asked helplessly.

“Like that.” She waved at Ethan and Joyce. “Like I’m the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen and all you want to do is have sex with me.”

Xander turned five different shades of red and buried his head in his hands with a mumbled, “Oh god,” while Dawn, the Slayer, and Tara tried their very best to look as if they hadn’t heard any of this. Ethan grinned in amusement; he loved these little moments when the girl and her candor could bring everything to a screeching halt.

Everyone seemed relieved when there was a loud knock at the door, though Ethan had actually been enjoying the moment.

“I’ll get it!” Joyce’s eldest jumped up without hesitation, practically running to the door.

All parties were present and accounted for, which meant it was either Rupert and Willow showing up after all or—

“Spike? What happened?” she asked, her voice accusatory but underlain by a note of concern.

Ok, even he hadn’t expected that.

He turned to see that Joyce had gone very pale. “I told her we should have gotten him out of there sooner,” she muttered.

“Out of where?” he asked. The last he knew, the vampire had left the town for parts unknown, unlikely to ever return. Or so everyone thought. Ethan had known he would be back, eventually. You didn’t stay away from Sunnydale; you couldn’t.

Before the Slayer could reply, Spike’s voice cut through the silence. “’S your mum’s birthday, isn’t it? I wanted to stop by and wish her well.”

“But your hair? You look—”

“Normal again?” There was a light laugh. “Yeah, figured it was about time I cleaned myself up. Wasn’t doing myself any good moping about in the dark.” There was a pause, then, “You gonna invite a bloke in?”

The Slayer’s reply sounded nothing like the girl at all, uncertain and hesitant, “You’ve been welcome here for a long time now, Spike.”

A moment later, Rupert’s protégée returned to the living room, followed by Spike, a very well groomed Spike. Ethan wasn’t ashamed to admit his eye for fashion, and the bright blue shirt and dark pants were quite unlike anything the vampire usually wore. It looked like he may have left punk behind at last. Pity, the look had always somewhat suited him. Or maybe it was the fond reminder of his own youth that Ethan had always liked.

Spike approached Joyce and handed her a bouquet of yellow daisies, her favorite. “It’s not much, I know. But couldn’t come empty-handed, could I?”

“They’re, um, lovely, Spike. Thank you,” she replied with a forced smile. Spike had been gone, true, but that didn’t account for the nervousness Ethan felt coming off of Joyce. And the very subtle hint of fear. Which surprised him more than anything else.

It wasn’t that Ethan had written the vampire off as completely harmless, for no one ever truly was—himself being case in point. But not once had he ever seen Joyce anything but warm with Spike. A mother’s protectiveness didn’t account for the change, either. She and her daughter were privy to some information that Ethan and the others weren’t.

“I’ll go put these in some water,” Joyce excused herself and headed for the kitchen.

“Still treatin’ the lady right?” Spike asked him, avoiding Ethan’s gaze completely. Very odd. And very unlike the brazen vampire who would stare you straight in the eye, whether he was hiding something or no.

“Always,” Ethan responded, trying to focus in completely on Spike. There was something there, just beneath the surface, but he’d be damned if he could pin it down. “No one expected to see you back here.”

“Just needed a change of scenery.” Again, the never-quite-meeting of the gaze.

“We all do from time to time,” Ethan agreed. And then assuming a role that would never feel comfortable, “Did something happen?”

“Nah,” Spike shrugged him off and began making his way over to the rest of the group. “Just gettin’ reacclimated.”

Ethan watched Spike attempt to make uncomfortable small talk with the others. Dawn’s coolness had a definite effect on him, and he also kept away from Tara. The two had always had a quiet respect for each other. She looked at Ethan, her gaze inquiring. He held up his empty hands in response. Something was wrong, but he had no idea.

Ethan’s hand shot out and grabbed Joyce as she breezed in from the kitchen, almost as if she was trying to get past him entirely. “What’s going on, my dear?” he inquired, his voice low.

“Nothing.” She tried to free herself. “Ethan, there are guests.”

“I’m well aware of that fact. However, you seem to know something about our resident vampire and why he doesn’t seem quite like himself.”

“Ethan, not right now,” she said through clenched teeth.

She knew something, alright.

“Excuse us,” he announced to the room at large, before dragging Joyce behind him, into the kitchen. “Out with it, Joyce.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Yes, you do. You know very well. As does your eldest, it seems.” He stared her down. “Neither of you seemed that shocked for him to be here. Surprised, but not floored. Which leads me to believe that the two of you knew something the rest of us didn’t.”

Joyce sighed wearily as she leaned against the counter. If anything, she looked relieved. “I wanted to tell you. But she made me swear not to. No one could know, not yet. Not that he was back. Especially not how we found him. At least now he seems more like himself. But last week . . .” she trailed off, looking at him helplessly. “He’s been living in the basement of the new high school.”

“For how long?”

She shrugged. “A couple weeks maybe? It’s hard to say. But that wasn’t the upsetting part of it all. He was out of his mind, Ethan. Dirty and gaunt and his hair was grown out and wild. And he was talking like a mad man.”

Ethan considered the wall. “He didn’t say where he’d been before the basement? Where he’d run off to?”

“No. More than anything he seemed to want to get me out of there as soon as possible.” She shivered. “But the basement was the worst. There’s something not right down there. And to just leave him there . . .”

“He’s trying too hard,” Ethan realized at last. Too clean, too light-natured, too polite. “Something’s still wrong with him, but he’s trying to cover it up. I couldn’t get a clear read on him either, not that it’s my strong suit to begin with. But usually—”

“No, get away from me!” was the shrill cry that cut him off from the living room.

Ethan was a step behind Joyce as she raced into the other room in time to find Spike scrambling away from Tara as if his life depended on it.

“Don’t look at me. Unclean. Not worthy. Keep away!” he babbled, backing away, stumbling over furniture.

The Slayer reached for him. “Spike, wait—”

But she was pushed violently away. “Mustn’t touch. It’ll get you, too. Have to get away. Shouldn’t have come.”

He was in the foyer and out the door before anyone could react. The girl was up from the floor and after him quickly, though, with a quick, “Stay here,” as she ran after him.

The children were all on the couch looking completely floored, except Tara. She stood in the middle of the room, staring after where first Spike and then Buffy had disappeared. There was no shock on her face, just intense sadness and pity. When she did move, she sought out Ethan.

“Tara, what happened?” he asked with concern.

Her eyes closed briefly and when they reopened, they were shining with tears. When she spoke, it was with sorrowful amazement. “Spike has his soul.”

That definitely went a long way toward explaining things.  



End file.
